


Castle in The Sky

by aliscoles



Category: Dragon Age, Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-16
Updated: 2015-03-22
Packaged: 2018-03-18 04:55:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3556832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aliscoles/pseuds/aliscoles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of snippets of Melody Hawke's life, an apostate mage with a gift for survival, who's only goal was to protect her special people.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. At Dawn

**Author's Note:**

> Melody takes the twins out on Lake Calenhad

Melody rushed about the hut gathering what they needed, feeling anxious. She stuffed everything into a backpack and then she slung it over her shoulder. The young apostate was only 13, but she acted much older. Her parents were bustling around as well, only the twins and the dog were asleep.

“Do you have everything?” Leandra asked, her voice hushed but sounding no less frantic.

Melody nodded tightly, “I think so.”

“You understand the plan?” Malcolm asked, stopping Melody in her frantic movements making the girl look him in the eyes. Amber met blue.

“Yes.”

“Repeat it to me,” Malcolm instructed.

“I take the twins out on the lake and go across it. I’ll summon a fog, just like you told me, to mask our travel. When we get to the other side, I head to Lothering where the Chantry is. I’m to stay at the Chantry with the twins until you a mom manage to shake off the town and met us there. If anyone asks my parents are migrant workers who sent us ahead of them.”

“Good.” Malcolm sighed in relief, glad that Melody had it down. He patted her head before pulling her into a hug. “Go grab the twins, we don’t have much time. Take Lucky with you.”

Melody rushed into the spare room where she and the twins rooms were. She shook Carver and Bethany awake, their pallets were right by each other.

“Get up you two,” she instructed, keeping her voice down, “We have to go  _now_.”

Carver frowned, his thick brows drawing together. He scrambled up, pulling his clothes on quickly. “You pack my stuff?” He asked gruffly.

Melody nodded and shook Bethany again, “Beth-bunny, it’s time to get up,” she cooed, trying to keep quiet and not to sound to frantic. Bethany’s brown eyes opened and she stared at Melody confused.

“Mel? It’s so  _early_ ,” she mumbled, coughing. Melody swore, Bethany would be getting sick right now.

“We have to go Beth, sorry,” she said.

Bethany woke up at that, looking alarmed. She scrambled out of bed, grabbing her clothes to change. While they waited, Melody handed Carver one of their two bags. “Can you manage?”

Carver frowned, “Yeah, of course. It’s not that heavy.”

Melody knew that wasn’t true but she smiled indulgently, “Okay, you mind that, then. I think I’m going to have to carry Bethany.”

“How are you going to do that and carry that bag?” Carver asked.

Melody shrugged as Bethany emerged from behind the changing screen. Melody grabbed a blanket and wrapped Bethany in it.

“I’m fine…” Bethany protested. Melody arched an eyebrow, “You wanna try that again but with feeling?”

Bethany smiled weakly. Melody slipped her backpack off, putting it on her front instead as if it were a pouch, then she bent down for Bethany to jump up on. Bethany was a few years too old for piggy back rides but she wasn’t too heavy. Melody held her legs firmly, “Get Lucky, Carver, and let’s go.”

Carver rushed out into the main room, calling softly for Lucky. Lucky was a Mabari so they didn’t have to worry about the dog refusing to follow orders or getting them caught. Their parents watched them come in. Malcolm patted Carver’s head. Leandra cooed over Bethany.  

“You’ll be alright, baby, Melody will look out for you.”

The pressure weighed hard on Melody’s shoulder, heavier then Bethany or the backpack. “Come on, Carver, Lucky.” She instructed cooly, trying to act grown up. Carver held open the door and Melody trotted out, heading for where the canoe was stashed.

Carver got in first and helped Bethany off Melody’s back and into the canoe. Then he secured their bags. Melody helped Lucky in. Once they were all carefully stored inside she dipped her hands into the water and allowed the magic tightly coiled inside her to release. The air currents swept around her, drawing up a fog that seemed natural and hid them. Melody wiped her wet hand against her tunic before pushing the canoe off, at the last second she jumped in herself, getting her boots wet.

Bethany was tucked in warmly and Carver was perched beside her, keeping Lucky quiet. Melody didn’t bother to use the oars. The fog masked them and oars would make noise instead she loosed her magic again, catching hold of the boat and guiding it.

“Should you be using so much magic?” Carver asked warily.

Melody turned her head and smiled, “It’s fine.” She told him before motioning that they shouldn’t talk. Orange burned on the horizon. Their house, Melody knew without seeing clearly. She was glad the others weren’t facing that way. They shouldn’t have to see their house burn.

Melody watched the orange mold with the smoky blue fog that surrounded them. It played in the distance looking beautiful. She knew it was their house but from out here, it looked like fairy lights.

“Sad things can look beautiful…” Melody mumbled, then looked at her siblings, both of whom were dozing off and she smiled slightly. She knew that she was lucky to have what she did. Her house is burning like fairy lights but she has a mother and father who love her and two siblings who she is in charge of.

“Don’t worry…” she said softly to them, whispering through the fog, “I will never let anything happen to you…” She smiled again before her mouth set firmly. Nothing would happen to her family as long as she drew breath.


	2. Kick and Scream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> prompt from otpdisaster suggested by singingofwinter. Melody and Fenris have a fight that does not go according to plan.

Melody and Fenris fought exceedingly less than most would think. Though Fenris’s nature lent itself heavily to fighting, Melody’s calmer nature and stubborn refusal to fight tended to nullify arguments. However, when they _did_  fight, they were fights that shook Amell Manor. Today, was one of those incidents.

The fight was about a long standing  _disagreement_ (in Melody’s words) about their differing stances on Anders and the danger he posed as an  _abomination_  (in Fenris’s words). Melody first denied that Anders was even an abomination. An abomination, after all, was defined as a mage who had been possessed by a demon. Anders was  _sharing bodies_ or had  _bonded_ (in Melody’s words) with a spirit of Justice. A spirit was a not a synonym for a demon. Anders was not, therefore, dangerous. He was in control of his own body. He was capable of reasonable thinking and refrained from violence. In fact, his clinic was doing more good than harm -if it could be said to do harm at all - and he was a very useful member of the team.

Fenris rejected her definition and furthermore pushed that Anders was  _more_  dangerous possessed by a spirit, because people like Melody were more likely to make excuses. He asserted that the danger he posed at their first meeting and his obsession with the Kirkwall mages were all clearly signs of the danger he posed. He also proposed that Melody’s tolerant attitude steamed from the fact that she was in a  _relationship_  with him (Fenris’s actual statement had been much more vulgar and resulted in a very large statuette being thrown at his hand).

Melody stormed into the library, yanking open the fancy glass door her mother had imported from Orlais after the last door had been kicked off its hinges during a drunken incident in the library last Satinalia. Fenris followed on her heels, “You can’t just storm off when you get sick of talking, Hawke!” He yelled, following up with a few choice words, as he chased after her.

The brunette apostate turned round, her eyes flashing like wildfire in the light, “No, I can’t.” She admitted heatedly, “Because you keep  _following_ me!”

Fenris glared, attempting to back her into a corner. He was getting tired of following her all over her large mansion. However, he forgot that this was exactly what everyone tried to do when fighting a mage, and Melody instinctively knew how to handle it.

“Because you keep running away!”

“I’m not running away!” Melody insisted angrily.

“What would you call your behavior?!” Fenris demanded.

“I’m attempting to diplomatically end this conversation!” Melody fired back.

The two stopped walking in sync and it was a stare down. Melody’s eyes flashed dangerously. However, Fenris was done being intimidated by mages. “You’re just siding with him because you’re a mage!”

Melody’s eyes narrowed and she rose to her full height, which while not tall was still an inch or two above Fenris’s height. “First of all,” Melody said, her voice booming through the library, “I’m not talking anyone’s side! Second of all, don’t you dare use my mage status to wave away my decisions! Does me being a mage allow me to empathize more with mages? Yes, of course it does! Just like you can empathize with elves or sword wielders, because you  _are_  one!” Melody took a step forward, the distance between them was slowly closing. Fenris scoffed but his attitude of dismissal only seemed to encourage the young woman.

“Just because mages are powerful and capable of hurting others does not mean they are incapable of being hurt and abused! You have to understand that we’re not in Tevinter anymore.”

“And you have to understand,” Fenris immediately shot back, interrupting Melody, “That Tevinter could happen here! Natures do not change regionally!”

Melody took another step forward. Fenris refused to be intimidated by her and refused to give an inch. He didn’t take a step back.

“The rite of tranquility being forced and a mageocracy are pretty far apart!” Melody shot back.

“It’s a slippery slope!”

“So, you don’t deny that it’s wrong?” Melody challenged.

Fenris growled, “A few mages suffering for the sake of country is better.”

“But if they don’t have to suffer they shouldn’t! You act as if, if we secure protections for mages we are automatically causing damage to everyone else. Helping one does not hurt the other!”

“Mages are inherently dangerous!” Fenris screamed in Melody’s face. They were nose to nose but neither one was lowering their volume, “They all seek power! They do not care who they trample over to get their desires! They are all snakes hiding in the grass. If you show them kindness they will bite you when you least expect it!”

Silence hung heavy in the air between them for a few moments before Melody finally broke it. Her jaw tightened, “You’re right…” she said, her voice low and her eyes fixed lower, “We should just get rid of mages. Kill them or make them all tranquil. I guess I ought to go volunteer, to set the example.”

She turned on her heel, her shoulder length hair snapping at the quick motion, smacking Fenris in the face. She stomped towards the exit of the library.

“Hawke, wait!” Fenris said, coming out of his stupor realizing what he said. He scrambled after her. Melody was already at the door, when to Fenris’s utter surprise instead of opening the door Melody slammed into it.

Her body stumbled back from the impact, slamming into Fenris just as he was reaching for her wrist to stop her from leaving. Not expecting Melody to crash, Fenris was unprepared for her weight to suddenly settle on his chest and he had no time to brace himself. The two fell backwards, Fenris immediately correcting his fall to prevent his head from slamming into the hard floor. The pain on his chest from Melody’s impact against him was unavoidable.

Melody for her part, was completely disorientated. Her body slammed into the glass door that she had thought she left open just as Fenris yanked on her wrist. She spun as she fell, landing roughly on Fenris’s chest. The two were nose to nose.

Melody stared owlishly at her sparring partner that she had nearly squished. She wondered how she had never noticed how big his eyes were or how flattering his white hair was against his tan skin. Her eyes felt drawn to his lips which as just a breathe away from hers. In the back of her mind, she screamed that she was with Anders and she should never have such feelings about close friend Fenris as he had made his feelings very clear when he broke things off.

“Hawke..” Fenris breathed, his voice husky to Melody’s ears. Her heart leapt in her chest. She ought to pull away right now, before anything happened, but something froze her in place, “Your nose is bleeding…” Fenris stated.

And just like that the spell was broken, “Maker!” Melody exclaimed, rolling off Fenris quickly, both her hands clamping over her nose. Now that Fenris told her, she felt the pain and stinging sensation. On top of the pain, she felt shame and embarrassment. Of course Fenris didn’t feel anything for her. Her cheeks burned with anger directed at herself. Fenris sat up and bustled around trying to help her until Leandra swept in, escorting Melody out, tsking her tongue like she had when Melody was a child.


End file.
